Lara spent the next three days exploring the base and generally making a
nuisance of herself. Because of that, Jack had to spend the same three
days trying to keep up and keep her from getting in too much trouble. On
the second day, he even had to stop her disappearing through the gate with
SG-4 - who said they would have been quite happy for her to tag along.
The morning of the fourth day found Jack sitting in the mess hall at 0600, cradling a cup of coffee and a large headache, while Lara watched with a wicked grin on her face.
"Can't we go through the gate for even a minute?" she asked with mock sweetness. "Please? I promise I won't get into trouble?"
"No." Jack said. He was getting used to her moods now, and knew she was just teasing him - just like she had been when she had tried to slip through the gate two days ago. Although, if you asked Jack he thought there was something a little warped about her sense of humour.
"Aw, you're no fun." Lara said.
Jack looked up at her with bleary eyes. "Croft, you are worse than a Jaffa patrol. I haven't gotten any sleep for the past three days because of you. I would have been better off if I just went out and attacked the nearest Goa'uld mothership all by myself."
"Oh, poor Jack." Lara said and laughed. "I'm tiring you out, am I?"
"Yes."
"Well, maybe you should go to bed. I promise not to sneak through the gate when you're gone."
"Yes, but what else will do?" Jack asked.
Lara laughed. "Not much." She said seriously. "I'm probably going to spend most of the day packing and saying goodbye to everyone."
"You're leaving?" Jack asked, he head coming up.
Lara arched an eyebrow. "I am allowed to leave aren't I?" Lara teased.
"Yeah," Jack said. "I just didn't think you would be leaving so soon."
"If I don't leave soon, I think Bryce is probably going to irreparably damage your computer system." She joked.
"Are you going back to England, then?" Jack asked.
"Yes." Lara smiled wryly. "Hilary has probably worried himself sick."
"Hilary?" Jack asked.
"My butler."
"Your butler?" Jack repeated.
"I am an English Lady, you know." She said. "I have a manor and everything."
"A manor, huh?"
"Yes." Lara said. "Croft Manor. 83 rooms."
"Really?" Jack said. "That I have to see."
"Well," Lara said. "If you're ever in London . . . come by for a visit."
"I might take you up on that." Jack said and took a sip of his coffee.
At that moment Sam and Daniel walked up. "What are you guys smiling about?" Sam asked.
"She's got 83 rooms." Jack said cryptically, grinning as he saw his friends' confused faces. "And a butler."
Lara smiled. "Jack is just discovering the benefits of being the daughter of an Earl." she said.
Daniel looked interested. "So what does that make you?" he asked. "An Earl-ess?"
"No." Lara laughed. "My title is Countess."
"But aren't Countess' married to Counts?" Jack asked.
"Countess is the title of both the wives of Counts and the wives of Earls." Lara explained. "It stems from a time in society where men inherited property and women were property."
"Ah." Jack said. "The good old days."
Lara just laughed and slapped him teasingly on the shoulder.
Sam looked at them and shook her head. "What have you been eating?" she asked.
"Just coffee." Jack said. "Why?"
"Because you're both acting really weird." Daniel said.
Two faces peered up at him with almost identical looks of innocence. "What are you two up to?" Daniel asked warily.
"Nothing." Lara and Jack chorused together.
"Just man to man bonding." Jack added.
"Hey!" Lara said. "I'm a woman, thank you very much!"
"I know, but you act like a man." Jack teased. "All that talk about how big your 'gun' is . . . "
Lara laughed again, and Daniel looked at Sam in wonderment. He motioned Sam away from the laughing pair. "I think the Colonel has finally found someone he likes!" Daniel said.
"Likes?" Sam asked. "You don't mean as in 'girlfriend', do you?"
"Don't you think so?" Daniel asked. "Just look at them."
Sam did, and saw the two of them were now arm wrestling, while yelling insults at each other that seemed to get sillier and sillier as they went on. "You could be right." Sam finally said. "Wow."
"I know." Daniel agreed. "He always has something sarcastic or grumpy to say, you almost forget he has a teasing sense of humour too."
Sam shook her head. "I'm going to get something to eat. You coming?"
"Sure." Daniel said, and the pair walked off.
The morning of the fourth day found Jack sitting in the mess hall at 0600, cradling a cup of coffee and a large headache, while Lara watched with a wicked grin on her face.
"Can't we go through the gate for even a minute?" she asked with mock sweetness. "Please? I promise I won't get into trouble?"
"No." Jack said. He was getting used to her moods now, and knew she was just teasing him - just like she had been when she had tried to slip through the gate two days ago. Although, if you asked Jack he thought there was something a little warped about her sense of humour.
"Aw, you're no fun." Lara said.
Jack looked up at her with bleary eyes. "Croft, you are worse than a Jaffa patrol. I haven't gotten any sleep for the past three days because of you. I would have been better off if I just went out and attacked the nearest Goa'uld mothership all by myself."
"Oh, poor Jack." Lara said and laughed. "I'm tiring you out, am I?"
"Yes."
"Well, maybe you should go to bed. I promise not to sneak through the gate when you're gone."
"Yes, but what else will do?" Jack asked.
Lara laughed. "Not much." She said seriously. "I'm probably going to spend most of the day packing and saying goodbye to everyone."
"You're leaving?" Jack asked, he head coming up.
Lara arched an eyebrow. "I am allowed to leave aren't I?" Lara teased.
"Yeah," Jack said. "I just didn't think you would be leaving so soon."
"If I don't leave soon, I think Bryce is probably going to irreparably damage your computer system." She joked.
"Are you going back to England, then?" Jack asked.
"Yes." Lara smiled wryly. "Hilary has probably worried himself sick."
"Hilary?" Jack asked.
"My butler."
"Your butler?" Jack repeated.
"I am an English Lady, you know." She said. "I have a manor and everything."
"A manor, huh?"
"Yes." Lara said. "Croft Manor. 83 rooms."
"Really?" Jack said. "That I have to see."
"Well," Lara said. "If you're ever in London . . . come by for a visit."
"I might take you up on that." Jack said and took a sip of his coffee.
At that moment Sam and Daniel walked up. "What are you guys smiling about?" Sam asked.
"She's got 83 rooms." Jack said cryptically, grinning as he saw his friends' confused faces. "And a butler."
Lara smiled. "Jack is just discovering the benefits of being the daughter of an Earl." she said.
Daniel looked interested. "So what does that make you?" he asked. "An Earl-ess?"
"No." Lara laughed. "My title is Countess."
"But aren't Countess' married to Counts?" Jack asked.
"Countess is the title of both the wives of Counts and the wives of Earls." Lara explained. "It stems from a time in society where men inherited property and women were property."
"Ah." Jack said. "The good old days."
Lara just laughed and slapped him teasingly on the shoulder.
Sam looked at them and shook her head. "What have you been eating?" she asked.
"Just coffee." Jack said. "Why?"
"Because you're both acting really weird." Daniel said.
Two faces peered up at him with almost identical looks of innocence. "What are you two up to?" Daniel asked warily.
"Nothing." Lara and Jack chorused together.
"Just man to man bonding." Jack added.
"Hey!" Lara said. "I'm a woman, thank you very much!"
"I know, but you act like a man." Jack teased. "All that talk about how big your 'gun' is . . . "
Lara laughed again, and Daniel looked at Sam in wonderment. He motioned Sam away from the laughing pair. "I think the Colonel has finally found someone he likes!" Daniel said.
"Likes?" Sam asked. "You don't mean as in 'girlfriend', do you?"
"Don't you think so?" Daniel asked. "Just look at them."
Sam did, and saw the two of them were now arm wrestling, while yelling insults at each other that seemed to get sillier and sillier as they went on. "You could be right." Sam finally said. "Wow."
"I know." Daniel agreed. "He always has something sarcastic or grumpy to say, you almost forget he has a teasing sense of humour too."
Sam shook her head. "I'm going to get something to eat. You coming?"
"Sure." Daniel said, and the pair walked off.